


Out of the Dark - Jane Seymour

by jane_fucking_seymour



Series: Out of the Dark [1]
Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: Angst, Family, Fluff, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-09 02:22:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18907561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jane_fucking_seymour/pseuds/jane_fucking_seymour
Summary: The very souls of the Queens lay in the balance. They have a choice - to live in the Light, or be forced to dwell into the Darkness. The decision could change the fate of the world forever. (Some may know this work as "Wandering Shadows.")





	1. Harden Your Heart

It started as passing thoughts at first.

As Jane Seymour hums happily as she sets up breakfast for the other girls, a foreign thought runs into her head:

_ “Why are you the only one doing this?” _

She blinks, looking around; Jane honestly thought that someone else was in the room, the thought was so out of nowhere. Seeing no one, she sighs, moving back to the stove. She’s made a healthy breakfast for the girls, not unlike what she fairly commonly did in the morning, especially at the start of tough show weeks. This week had two extra appearances on daily shows, so Jane had thought that a good breakfast would help the rest of the girls kick off the week with a boost.

The thoughts, however, say different.

 

_ “They’ve never done this for you,” _

it says.

_ “They’d never do this for you. So why are you doing it for them?” _

She frowns, slowing down. It wasn’t very true, she’s sure of it. Where were these thoughts coming from?

A familiar yawn coming from behind her stops Jane’s train of thought. With a brilliant smile, she turns to find Katherine Howard, still half asleep as she sits down.

“Good morning, love,” Jane says, offering her a plate. “Would you like some?”

She nods, smiling at Jane before taking the plate.

The voice rings back:

_ “And she didn’t even thank you.” _

Jane frowns, shakes her head, then goes back to her normal routine.

It’s quiet for a while until they’re all getting ready to head to the theater for the show.

Again, the voice speaks.

_ “Do you think Howard will want you forever?” _

“What is that?” Jane asks. It’s a bit too loudly, as Aragon looks over.

“What’s what?”

Jane looks over, a bit startled, but smiles and shakes her head.

“Oh, nothing, I’m sorry, just a bit lost in thought.”

Jane moves away, Aragon watching for a moment. She wants to say something, but they’ve called for places.

The third is a bit tougher to ignore.

The show is done and the girls are out to celebrate. As she sits in the corner of the booth, looking down at her wine with a neutral expression, she hears a familiar yell coming from the other side of the room.

Her head shoots up and she’s about to sprint over when she sees that it’s not a bad yell; it’s Katherine Howard, yes, but she’s laughing at something Parr said to her, it seemed. Parr is equally as relaxed, smiling brightly at the reaction.

Again, the voice speaks.

_ “She’s a better mother than you ever were. Than you ever will be.” _

“Shut up,” she growls.

_ “Parr will teach her to be brave, not to cower behind her and depend on her like you do.” _

“I said, shut UP.”

Someone asks something, but Jane can’t hear.

_ “You only care for her because you want someone to depend on you. You’re sick.” _

“Shut UP-”

“Jane!”

The woman looks up to find a very concerned Anne Bolyen and Catherine of Aragon.

Jane takes one look at them before re-settling, giving them a shaky smile that’s supposed to be comforting.

It’s not.

“I think I’m gonna call it a night early, girls,” Jane says, a bit out of breath as she goes. “I’ll… I’ll take a cab or something.”

“Do you want one of us to go with you-” Boleyn asks, but Jane quickly interrupts:

“No, absolutely not,” Jane replies. “I need to be alone.”

“Jane-” Aragon starts, but Jane’s up and left.

Jane moves to the exit, not even hearing Howard call after her. She hears the thoughts more and more clearly, more voices in her head; she must be going insane, she realizes, how else could-

\- wait. How did she get home?

She looks around; she’s in her room. Her legs are burning, as if she’s walked miles. That can’t be right, can it?

Again, the voices, louder than ever, go after her: she holds her head, sliding against the bed frame. It’s too much, too much, too much:

_ “Why are you fighting it?” _

_ “You know we’re right.” _

_ “You’re going to lose her eventually.” _

_ “You’re going to be replaced.” _

_ “She’ll leave you all alone.” _

_ “They all will.” _

_ “Shut.” _

_ “Them.” _

**_“Out.”_ **

It’s enough.

Jane feels herself start to… become distant, for lack of a better term. It didn’t really matter now, anyways; nothing did. Not anymore. She could feel something start to make itself at home, start to commandeer her thoughts, her emotions.

She should care. She should call for Parr, or Cleves, or Aragon… someone. But she doesn’t.

She stops crying and looks up; there’s not an emotion visible on her face.

No more tears.

No more feelings.

The Jane Seymour her family knows is gone.

Truly made of stone.


	2. Don’t Let Them In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane Seymour begins to feel the effects of the Darkness.

Cleves is the first to find the new Jane; they pass in the hallway a bit later in the morning. Cleves raises an eyebrow silently at the woman, but says nothing, continuing on to get ready for the day out with the girls.

Aragon is next up when Jane moves into the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

“Are you coming with us before the show, Jane?”

“No,” Jane replies simply. She grabs a glass.

Aragon frowns but nods. “Not feeling great still?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want someone to-”

“I want,” Jane cuts in, looking over at Aragon. Aragon is a bit taken back by the glare, but Jane is un-phased as she continues: “to be left  **_alone_ ** .”

Jane glares at Aragon once more before moving away, face once again impassive. 

Aragon narrows her eyes at the retreating form.

Anne Boleyn pokes her head into Jane’s room just before she and the other queens are about to leave. The light’s not on in the room, instead the only source of illumination is from the window. The blinds are shut, however, leaving Jane mostly in darkness. “Hey, Jane,” she says, smiling. “Are you sure you don’t-”

“I’m sure,” Jane says. She doesn’t even look at Anne. She just continues working on whatever she was working on at her desk.

Anne frowns.

“Okay… are you feeling-?”

Finally, Jane looks over. She gives Anne a smile.

“Go on, darling, I’m just tired. Long night last night.”

She turns back around.

Anne only frowns deeper.

“Did something happen last night or…?”

At that, Jane’s head perks up. Anne can’t see her face, but Jane’s body is shaking.

"Jane?” She asks, she moves towards the other woman. “What happened, what’s-”

**_“Did I tell you you could come in?”_ **

Anne stops dead in her tracks, tensing. It’s unusual for Jane to get sharp with anyone, let alone for something as trivial as entering a room without permission.

“No, but-” Anne starts, but she stops; Jane’s glare, it’s… it’s not…

“I know breaking rules is kind of your thing, Boleyn,” Jane starts. It’s a cold response, delivered with such a chill it actually makes Anne shutter. “But maybe just this once you can listen to proper directives, yeah? Don’t. Come in. Without. Knocking.”

“What the hell’s gotten into you?” Anne mutters, but she nods in understanding. 

“Good girl,” Seymour mocks, reaching up to tilt Anne’s head up a little bit. Anne’s about to tell her off before she hears someone behind her:

“Mum?”

Anne turns to find Howard at the door.

It’s like a switch turns on; suddenly, Jane’s back to normal.

“Hello, darling,” Seymour says, smiling at her daughter. “What’s up?”

Howard frowns. “We’re just about ready to go to breakfast, are you-”

“She’s not coming,” Anne finishes it for her, moving away from the Queens, head down as she exits the room.

Howard tilts her head. “What was that about?”

“Nothing, Kat, she’s just being a  _ brat _ ,” Jane growls out. She blinks when Katherine gives her a shocked look. “What, too much?”

“Are you feeling okay?” Howard asks.

Jane waves her off in a dismissive fashion.

“I’m fine, Kat. You worry too much.”

Katherine flinches a bit at that, but moves away.

“Alright… well, we’re headed to breakfast. Are you sure you don’t want to go? Aragon said-”

“I’m sure,” Jane replies, gently leading Kat out of the bedroom. “Go on, have fun with the girls, I’ll be here.” She closes the door without much else.

At the restaurant, it’s all Howard can talk about to Parr.

"She just… she smiled, right? But it wasn’t *her* smile. It was like it was someone else’s. I can’t explain it, Cath, but something’s up.”

“Maybe she’s having a rough time right now?” Parr suggests. “She mentioned not feeling well last week. She could be still under the weather or something.”

“No,” Howard shakes her head. “It wasn’t a not-feeling-well thing. I just… I just *know* something’s wrong. Something more serious than just being sick.”

“Kath…” Parr starts, shaking her head. “It’s been a rough few days for everyone. I think she just needs some rest." 

Aragon gives Howard an orange juice. “I doubt she’d want you to worry about it right now, anyways. She probably just needs some time to herself, that’s perfectly normal.”

Howard looks at the drink before smiling a little bit, taking it and following Aragon away. Parr leans back against the bar as Boleyn joins her.

"Howard’s right, you know.”

Parr raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“I talked to Jane a bit today,” Anne explains. “She really wasn’t herself.”

Parr says nothing.

Jane’s still in her room when the others return. Usually, Jane would be bustling around, finishing up some chore or another, or sitting with Katherine to talk about their days, or hanging out with the other Queens and discussing modern politics and the like.

Instead, she’s in her room and seems to have been since the girl’s left.

It’s enough for Howard to ask Parr to speak to Jane. 

Parr knocks on the door, waiting for Jane to open it. Nothing.

“Jane?” Parr asks. “Jane, it’s Parr. We were worried, so-”

The door opens suddenly, startling Parr slightly. If that hadn’t thrown her off, the almost dead look in Jane’s eyes would have.

“What… what’s going on?”

It’s a question Parr didn’t realize she was asking at first, but now that she’s said it, she can’t take it back.

Jane raises an eyebrow. "Was there something you needed?”

“Yeah,” Parr replies. “We’re worried about you, Jane. You’ve been… acting weird,” Jane tilts her head at that. “You’ve been alone a lot today, you’ve not really talked to us. It’s unusual.”

Jane raises an eyebrow. “You do realize how ironic of a statement it is for  _ you _ , amongst all of us, to tell me that being alone for a few hours is unusual, right?”

“That’s different,” Parr defends calmly. 

“Oh, of course,” Jane replies. “My mistake, I guess I can’t have a few hours to myself then, yeah?”

“Of course you can, Jane,” Parr tries to give her some room. “That’s not what… look, Katherine’s worried. Boleyn’s worried. We all are. We just wanted to make sure you were-”

“I said it before, and I’l say it again, since you lot aren’t getting the hints.” She moves up to Parr.

“I want. To be.  _ Alone _ .”

She slams the door in Parr’s face.

"Did she…?”

Parr turns to find Katherine there. She’s seen the whole thing.

Parr sighs. “Must be having a  _ really _ off day,” Parr says, a bit annoyed at Jane’s antics. It’s almost childish, Catherine considers, for Jane to shut everyone out like this, though a part of her is sympathetic.

“Come on, let’s just give her some space.”

No one talks to Jane until the hour before the show. At that point, she comes flying out of her room, a bit of a panic as she moves to get things ready.

The other queens are cautious around her at first, but when Jane asks Howard about her day, about how she’s been feeling and is generally back to her usual self, the house comes back into a sense of normalcy. They get to the show, rock it, then get ready for the bar that night.

Parr’s relieved that things have returned to normal, but she does decide that maybe talking to Jane about that morning would be for the best. Jane’s already announced that she wasn’t going to the bar tonight and Parr was going to stay in anyways, so when the girls are back in normal attire and off to their festivities for the night, Parr catches up to Jane on her way back home. The two walk together for a bit before Catherine breaks the silence.

“Hey, Jane?” Parr asks. Jane is quick to give her her full attention, smiling happily at the other woman. Finishing up a show always put smiles on the girl’s faces, and it seemed to have helped break whatever mood Jane was in earlier. “Can we talk about this morning?”

Jane blinks. “What about this morning?”

“You yelled at Boleyn, apparently, and you weren’t too kind to me.”

“When?” she tilts her head.

“This morning, before we all went to breakfast.”

Jane stops and just stares for a moment. She seems to be thinking about something, rattling her brain for a few moments. “I… we went to breakfast?”

Parr is very, very concerned.

“…  _ we _ didn’t. You stayed home. Remember?”

Jane frowns, sighs, then shakes her head, a hand going to her head as well.

“Sorry, it’s been…. a weird two days,” she mumbles. “Not sure what’s gotten into me.”

“It’s alright,” Catherine replies. “Maybe you just need some extra rest.”

“Yeah,” Jane agrees. “Something like that.”

Parr gently puts a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll likely stay in tonight anyways, I’m sure at least Howard will as well. She’s been very worried-”

“Yes, well,” Jane’s voice has changed to one without much emotion - “She generally does that, not too out of the ordinary.”

Parr lets go of Jane then.

“Well, she’s worried about you, Seymour.”

“See’s worried about everything, Parr,” Jane dismisses her again. “Maybe if she actually listened to one of us, she’d not be as worried.”

Parr narrows her eyes.

“Yeah, maybe you sitting out of tonight is for the best,” Parr says after a moment. She’s annoyed and she shows it for a second before moving away, continuing to walk towards their flat. Jane just follows.

The door opens around midnight to find Katherine Howard entering the flat alone. The others are still out, Parr’s gone and locked herself in her study and Jane… is nowhere to be seen.

Not unusual so late, but concerning considering recent events.

Howard moves to the door of Jane’s room, but she suddenly stops. It’s very sudden, but a wave of anxiety and fear hits her; it’s enough for her to stumble backwards in surprise. Her breathing picks up and her chest tightens. She’s not sure what’s got her so anxious, but it’s very much affecting her.

She stumbles to the ground, still breathing a bit quicker. 

_ Okay, _ she thinks,  _ Jane taught me how to do this, remember? Breathe in, two, three… out, two three… _

She continues the breathing exercise that Jane taught her only a few days before to help with her anxiety. It’s been a lifesaver since then, and today seems to be the start of one of those times.

“Mum?” Howard asks. “Mum, I’m… it’s hard to breathe.”

Jane opens the door, stepping outside to kneel next to Howard.

“What’s happened?” she asks. She looks Howard over.

“I dunno,” Katherine replies. “It just… it just hit me suddenly.”

“Well, that’s alright. Remember what I taught you, love?” Katherine nods. “Do that. In, two three…”

She tries to help calm Katherine down, which starts to work. Still, though, there’s just…  _ something _ going on that makes Katherine so nervous and anxious. She doesn’t know what.

“Thanks,” Katherine mumbles. 

“Of course,” Jane replies. “Maybe next time you can do that yourself, though, I was in the middle of something.”

It makes Katherine pause.

“I… I’m sorry, I didn’t know that,” Katherine looks down, a bit embarrassed. “I just thought-”

“No, Kat, you didn’t think, that’s the problem.” Jane replies, a bit of disappointment in her voice. “Next time, if you can take care of it yourself, do so. You’re a big girl, love, you can surely handle a small amount of anxiety, can’t you-”

“Okay, absolutely not.”

They turn to find Parr there. Jane raises an eyebrow.

“When did you get here?” Jane asks.

“Been here,” Parr snaps, moving to Katherine to put a gentle hand on her back, rubbing up and down soothingly as she sees Katherine’s breathing pick up a bit. “Go away. Whatever’s gotten into you tonight, it’s not going to mess up the night for Kat. Absolutely not. And when you come back to yourself - or  _ whatever _ is up with you passes - you better apologize.”

Jane rolls her eyes, moving back to her room.

“She has to learn one way or another,  _ Parr _ ,” Jane growls out. “We won’t be there for her forever.”

She slams the door.

Parr’s enraged.

“What the hell has gotten into her?” Parr asks.

Katherine hasn’t responded. She’s silent for a moment before rushing away, to her room, and slamming the door shut.

Parr sighs in frustration. 

When the others return, they’d find Parr in the living room.

“We all need to talk.”


	3. Say Goodbye To Those You Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seymour tries her hardest to fight them off, but the Darkness surprises her with new abilities that will cost the Six one of their own.

“Okay,” Parr says, sitting on the end of the couch. She’s got a hand on the back of Katherine, who hasn’t said a word since her interaction with Jane earlier that night. “Something’s wrong with Jane, and while I’d usually say we should just leave her be until it passes… she’s crossed a line.”

“Well before she got to Howard, I’d say,” Boleyn mumbles. “She went after Aragon first, then me.” 

“I know,” Parr replies. “And…” she frowns, looking down at Katherine. She didn’t want to make the girl any more upset, but the others had to know. “Earlier, after the show tonight, we were walking home. I mentioned that to her, how she acted to you two. She said she didn’t remember.”

“What?” Howard asks, looking up. “What do you mean?” 

“She said she didn’t remember talking to either of you that morning. She didn’t even know about the breakfast date.”

“So… she’s forgetting things,” Aragon says, “and acting out during them?”

“Like blacking out or something,” Cleves tries to clarify. Parr nods. “That doesn’t sound… normal.”

“Is anything about our situation normal?” Parr replies. “We were brought back, by some unknown force, for a previously unknown reason…” she frowns; hell, they’re not even sure if they’ve found that purpose in the first place. They assume so, but is it really?

Right. Different problem for another day.

“… and now, suddenly, Jane’s just… gone off the deep end.”

“What if…” Aragon looks serious, looking down at her hands for a moment. Then, she looks back up. “I almost feel silly suggesting it, but what if it isn’t normal?”

“Like what?” Boleyn asks. “Witchcraft or something?”

“Is it really out of the realm of possibility-” she starts, but everyone is quiet as another voice enters the room.

“Oh, hello everyone… am I missing something?”

It’s Jane, looking incredibly worried.

Parr keeps a hand moving on Katherine’s back as the girl tenses.

“Sit down, please,” Parr says. “We… we need to talk.”

Jane looks around nervously, but goes to sit next to Katherine. Cleve scoots over to fill that space when she sees Katherine tense up more, so Jane awkwardly stops and sits where Cleves was previously.

“Girls, you’re scaring me a bit,” Jane says, a bit unsure of what’s happening.

“ _ We’re _ scaring you?” Boleyn says. “That’s a laugh.”

“Anne,” Parr says seriously. “Not the time.” She looks back at Jane. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

Jane looks confused for a moment before she frowns, concentrating. “I… it was the show. I was walking home with you. I took a nap afterwards.”

“And nothing else?” Parr presses.

“No, just went straight to bed, I think,” she replies, nervously chuckling. “Why, did I sleep too long or something? Have you all eaten?”

“I had a panic attack,” Howard says. She finally looks at Jane. “I had a panic attack, or the start of one, anyways.”

Jane looks… actually fairly neutral.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help,” she replies evenly. “Are you okay?”

“That’s it?” Aragon asks. “That’s… that’s all you’re going to say?”

“What?” Jane asks. “It’s not like I can go back and help her through it then, can I?”

“Yeah, okay,” Cleves says. “Something’s up with Jane.”

“I…I’m sorry, I just don’t know what you’re talking about-” Jane starts, but then Katherine suddenly bolts. Jane moves to get up, to go after her, but Parr blocks her way.

“Please, Parr,” Jane says, a soft hand on the woman’s arm. “Please, just let me talk to her.”

Parr stares at her for a moment… before moving aside without any resistance. 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Cleves asks. Boleyn watches silently as Aragon agrees with Cleves.

“Yes, it is,” Parr replies. “Go, Jane.”

She nods and leaves, headed to Howard’s room.

When she arrives, Howard is trying not to cry. When she sees Jane, she just sits on the bed and waits.

Jane gives her a nod. “How are you feeling now?”

“Better,” Howard says. “A lot better.”

“That’s good,” Jane’s voice is even, neutral. “I’m glad you’re not injured.” She sits next to Howard on the bed.

Howard is restless now.

“What’s been going on, mum?” Howard asks. “Why are you… like this?”

“Oh, I see what the problem here is,” Jane says with a nod. “I-”

Suddenly, though, Jane has grabbed Katherine’s arm, shaking like a leaf. Howard winces at the touch; it really hurts.

“Mum?” she asks.

“K-Kat…” she says. Her voice is trembling, the most emotive she’s been for days. “Katherine, I need y-you to get… this th-thing, it’s not letting go but Parr-”

She inhales sharply, eyes closing as she suddenly freezes up. Katherine is so confused and so panicked. 

“Mum? Mum!!!” she tries to shake Jane awake.

Jane does open her eyes, though she’s back to the impassive sort of state.

“That’s… actually quite annoying,” she mumbles. Then, she releases Katherine’s arm and stands up.

Katherine is scared. “What’s happened to you?”

“They won’t believe you now,” Jane replies. “Not while I’ve got friends.”

Meanwhile, back with the other girls, Boylen is nervous.

“Do you think we should go after them?” She asks.

Parr keeps a very neutral face.

“No, Jane’s got this handled.”

Cleves tilts her head. “Weren’t we just talking about how we shouldn’t be leaving them alone?”

Parr shakes her head. “I think it’s fine. Honestly, thinking about it now, I might have been overreacting a bit… but Jane will take care of it. Let’s leave Howard to her.”

Cleves and Aragon look at each other while Boleyn watches Parr leave.

Only a few minutes earlier, Parr would have ran to Howard’s rescue. Now, however… well, she doesn’t care.

Not anymore.

 


	4. Without Support, You’ll Stand Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Parr and Seymour lost to the Dark, the others need to think of a plan to defend themselves. Meanwhile, the Darkness sets their sights on a certain Boleyn girl...

It’s later on that day that Boleyn knocks on Howard’s door.

Howard’s sitting on her bed, back against the wall, curled up.

Anne sighs. “Oh, Katherine…”

Kat can’t look at her cousin.

“What do you want?”

It’s not void of emotion; she’s scared and angry and confused. After what Jane said earlier that night, after everything that had happened… well, Katherine wasn’t sure what was going on.

“I want to help,” Boleyn replied. “There’s something wrong with Jane, clearly, and now Parr’s starting to act weird, too. I saw it before, when she let Jane go after you.”

Kat tenses up at the name of her mother. She tears up more; with nothing to else to wipe the teas with, Boleyn uses the sleeve of her long-sleeved shirt to do the job.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Katherine lies. “I don’t think you know what you’re talking about. They’re fine, they said it themselves.”

Boleyn tilts her head before she shakes it. “No, you don’t believe it. You’re also not… whatever’s gotten into them. Witchcraft, something.” she sits next to Kat, gently putting her arm around her. “You’re not acting off. You’re just scared, Katherine. I understand-”

“What are you doing?”

It’s Parr.

Boleyn narrows her eyes. 

“I’m helping my cousin,” she replies. “Unlike you.”

Parr doesn’t really reply.

“I told you, Jane’s fine now. Whatever it was passed.”

“It hasn’t. And it’s spread to you.” Anne counters. “Do you think we’re really that dumb? Did you honestly think Cleves, Aragon and I wouldn’t figure this out as soon as you spoke through Parr?”

Parr remains passive for a moment before she closes and locks the door behind her.

“Cleves and Aragon know, then?” she asks.

Anne says nothing.

“I’ll take that as a no,” Parr replies. “That’s fine. Jane should be talking to them now.”

“And you’re here to what?” Anne asks. “Take Kat and I?”

“Just you, not the girl,” Parr moves over to Anne.

“Why not the girl?” Anne asks. “You two have had ample time to grab Kitty here, and yet you haven’t.” 

Parr says nothing.

Anne tilts her head.

“You can’t, can you?” 

Nothing. Anne smirks.

“Parr wouldn’t let you, would she? And I’m assuming Jane won’t let the other one do it, either, she’s had ample time to do so.”

It’s a straight taunt, but then Anne gives a look. 

“Wait, so Jane let this thing take Parr instead? Rude.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Parr finally says. She moves to take Anne’s arm…

… but Katherine is quick to push Parr away.

“Don’t,” Howard says. “Not anyone else.”

Parr watches her rather coldly, like observing a specimen. 

“You’re actually fighting back this time?” Parr asks. “That’s… unexpected.”

“You took my mum away and you took one of the closest people away, too,” Katherine replies, standing up. “You’re not taking my cousin. I won’t let you.”

“Kat,” Anne starts. “You need to get out of here and warn the others.”

“You can go get them,” Kat counter-offers. “And I’ll… I’ll hold her off. Or somethin’. I’m not sure,” she admits, looking unsure, “but whatever this is, it’s not taking anyone else.” Katherine smirks. “The real Parr wouldn’t let them, I know that much.”

Parr narrows her eyes. 

She tries to push Kat aside, but the girl is stubborn, able to hold her off.

“Come on,” Howard says, “We do 75 minutes of cardio at least for six days a week, do you really think it’d be that easy to-”

Parr snarls, grabbing Kat by the collar instead. Oddly enough, though, she can’t move from there.

“No!” Anne yells. “I’m right here, take me, please, don’t hurt her!” 

“Anne,  _ go _ ,” Kat says. “I know what I’m doing.”

Anne shakes her head. “No, absolutely not, you’re not getting hurt by them. You’re not getting hurt by  _ Parr _ , of all people.”

Parr’s gaze has moved from Kat to Anne.

“It’s not Parr,” Kat replies. “I know that. I forgive her, I’ll always love her.”

Parr blinks in confusion for a moment before the face goes passive again. Their impromptu plan seems to be working.

“Parr,  _ please _ , I know you’re in there,” Anne pleads. “Kat needs your help. Jane’s in trouble. We don’t know how to stop this, we need you.”

Parr looks back at Anne, and now… she’s scared. She’s truly scared.

“I don’t know what to do,” Parr replies. “It’s… it’s  _ every _ negative thought you’ve had, all at once, constantly biting at you. I don’t… I don’t want to do this, I don’t, but-”

“But what?” Anne asks. “Are you that scared that you’re gonna let it take over everyone else? I thought you were the One That Survived, remember? The one that brought us all together. So why are you letting it get to you this easily, huh?”

“Anne, don’t-” Kat starts, but Anne presses forward. Parr drops Kat and tries to retreat to the door. Anne keeps pressing the advantage.

“You’re not taking her, you’re not taking me, we’re getting back Parr and we’re getting back Jane and I’ll be damned before you-”

“That’s enough.”

Parr’s grabbed Anne’s wrist, scrunching up the fabric of the sleeve as she grasps it.

“No!” Kat yells, but the tensing of Anne’s shoulders is convincing. Her body relaxes then and when she turns, her face is passive, the same way Jane’s was and the same way Parr’s is.

“Try her,” Parr says, pointing to Kat.

Anne’s quick to grab Kat’s arm.

Kat tenses, waiting for  _ whatever _ it is to happen to happen… but it doesn’t. It just doesn’t.

“She’s… not letting me,” Anne replies, voice completely void of emotion. Parr makes a non-committal sound.

“That was expected. This one wouldn’t let me, either,” she says. “Come on. We’ll lock the child in here, get the others, and try again.”

Anne releases the girl before moving away.

“Anne-” Kat starts, but when the girl turns around to glare, it shuts Katherine up. They leave without another sound. When Kat goes to open the door, it doesn’t budge.

 


	5. Last Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are looking dire. The fate of the Six might just reside with the youngest of the group.

It’s been three minutes since Parr and Boleyn left the room. She’s not sure what is going to happen now; at this rate, she’ll have to assume that everyone else is gone.

Out of all of the girls in the group, Katherine Howard was the last person who’d want to be without the others. And yet, that’s exactly what’s ended up becoming true: Parr, Boleyn and Seymour, all taken by whatever…  _ thing _ was happening to them.

Cleves and Aragon were MIA.

Howard, curls into herself on the bed (again), shaking her head.

“This really can’t get worse, can it?”

“Not really.”

She looks up, flinching at the sight.

“M- …Jane.”

Seymour doesn’t reply.

Jane quietly moves over to Katherine, sitting down next to her.

“We have some things to discuss, child,” Jane says.

“Why are you doing this to us?” Katherine asks quietly.

“For reasons I don’t think you’d be able to comprehend now,” Jane replies. “But they’re not our end goal. They’re not the reason we’re here.”

Katherine frowns, but then turns to face Jane. She has a few questions.

Meanwhile, Boleyn was standing in the kitchen with Parr, who was handling something in a notebook on the counter. 

Boleyn looks over at the door that Jane and Katherine are behind before she looks at Parr.

“What’s Jane going to do?” Boleyn asks.

Parr shakes her head. She keeps writing, then she hands the note to Boleyn. Anne looks at it for a moment, a hint of her eyebrow being raised, before she takes it.

“What is this?” she asks.

Parr blinks rapidly. “What’s what?”

She moves away towards the door to guard it.

Boleyn watches her go before she turns her back and reads the note:

_ Help me. _

_ Make Them stop. _

_ It hurts. _

_ She’s going to do something she’ll regret. _

Boleyn stares at it blankly before dropping the note, as if she forgot it altogether. She looks back at Parr when she notices something over by the sink.

“A knife is missing.”

Parr blinks, moving towards Boleyn. Anne moves away so Parr can see. Parr tilts her head; all the knives are there.

“What are you-” she starts, but then all she sees is a flash of black and a loud  _ THWUNK _ as Boleyn swings one of Parr’s own encyclopedia’s at her head.

Parr drops to the ground, head ringing.

Boleyn sighs. “Of course that didn’t work as cleanly as it did in those films.”

“What are you doing?” Parr asks, narrowing her eyes.

“Taking advantage of the opportunity Parr gave me,” Anne replies smugly. She clocks Parr again with the book. This time, Catherine is out cold.

“That’ll probably hurt in the morning…” she mumbles. She picks Parr up and puts her on the couch, trying to make Parr as comfortable as possible. Parr’s breathing is steady.

“Okay, babes,” Anne mumbles. “How exactly do I get you back and where the hell is Cleves and Aragon?”

As if on cue, there’s a bang against the closet door. Boleyn raises an eyebrow before she goes to it, cautiously picking the lock (a skill that was becoming more and more useful) and opening the door.

There, she finds the missing queens, tied up and gagged.

Anne is quick to remove those.

“You two alright?” she asks. They both nod, but Aragon is suspicious.

“I thought you got… whatever it is.”

“No, Parr protected me.” Anne explains.

“She couldn’t get us, either. I think Parr’s a bit stronger than they realized,” Cleves says. “Where’s she now?”

“On the couch. Unconscious.”

Anne points to the lax form. Aragon makes an ‘oh’ sound while Cleves just looks impressed.

“What’s the plan?”

“We tie up Parr, then we help Kat with Jane. Kat’s got the best chance of helping both of them, I think.”

They do just that, quickly, before Parr wakes up. When Anne grabs her wrist to tie it to the other one, Parr suddenly lurches to life, clamping down on Anne’s arm.

“Don’t… don’t let it get her, Anne,” she mumbles; she’s not entirely lucid, clearly. “Jane… J-Jane and I. We can handle it. Kat… Kat wouldn’t-“

She gasps, spasms, then goes limp.

Anne shakes the woman’s shoulder, tries to wake her up again. She seems to be locked in a nightmare, but she can’t be woken up.

“What the bloody hell is going on here,” Anne mumbles. Aragon is praying over Parr for a moment before she looks up at Anne.

“We’ll try to help her as much as we can,” Aragon says. “Go find Katherine. Clearly, she’ll need the help.”

Cleves nods in approval and Boleyn heads off, looking around the flat. When she realizes where they are, Boleyn gets back into character and moves inside, emotionless.

Kat had looked over and was initially hopeful… but when she saw Boleyn seemingly still under control, her heart shatters.

“Everyone is accounted for,” Boleyn says. Kat shakes her head, tears threatening to fall.

Jane nods. “Well. That only leaves you. Everyone you know has left you. Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn here, Anna of Cleves, Catherine Parr… and me, your mother.”

Katherine shakes her head. “You’re not my mother. Not anymore.” She’s tearing up more.

Jane raises an eyebrow, moving towards Katherine. “Oh, little Katherine, are you honestly going to cry?” She taunts. “You don’t have to, if you take what I offered.”

Katherine glares at her before she marches straight up to Jane.

“One more try,” she says. “Just one more, Mum. I know you’re in there. I’ve tried… I tried to save everyone. I failed. I’m sorry. But you… I need you, Mum. You’ve been gone for a week and I miss you. I can’t…” Katherine sobs.

“I can’t do this without you-“

Jane responds with a hand firmly clamped on Katherine’s arm and another hand high above the air, like she’s going to slap Katherine.

Boleyn tenses.

Katherine’s eyes go wide and she flinches hard, a yell of fear ringing through the air as she squeezes her eyes shut. She waits for the pain, waits for the smack.

It doesn’t come.

Katherine looks up.

Jane is shaking, the hand raised shaking most of all.

Katherine swallows her fear for a moment, free hand gently grasping the wrist of Jane’s raised arm.

“You… you can’t. Mum won’t let you.”

Jane narrows her eyes. Katherine moves closer, keeping Jane’s arm still in the air.

“Mum. It’s me. It’s Katherine. Remember?” She sniffles. “I… I know you’re scared. I know we’re both so scared. But… I need your help. I need you to break this. If you don’t… everyone’s gone, Mum. Everyone.”

Jane’s face is one of confusion. She shakes her head.

“Mum. Please. You said I wouldn’t be alone anymore. So… you can’t leave me alone. Please.” Katherine tries to smile, but it’s so shaky. “I need you here.”

Jane’s face changes to one of… well, she looks exhausted. She looks scared. She looks like she’s in pain.

“Katherine,” Jane mumbles. “You need to go.”

“Not without you and the others,” Kat says. “I need to know how to break it. How do we fight this thing, Mum? Do you know?”

Jane shakes her head. The raised hand starts downwards again, this time stopping a few inches after thanks to both Jane’s fighting and Kat’s strength against the arm.

“I… I don’t know. It’s all in pieces. It’s dark and terror and it… it won’t let us g-go-“

Again, the hand snaps, this time up. Preparing to try again.

“There must be something,” Katherine presses. “Mum. Please. We need to know.”

Jane looks scared. “You don’t… you don’t want this. There’s no helping.” Jane shakes her head. “I’m sorry, Kitty. I love you. But I won’t let this get you.”

The hand pulls down, slapping Katherine clear across the face.

Boleyn’s had enough.

She starts to move towards Jane, but something far more intimidating than Parr has a hold on Seymour. The woman extends her hand and suddenly, Anne is thrown out of the room by an unseen force. When she lands, she’s motionless. She’s in the same state as Parr was, suddenly, twitching with nightmares.

Katherine screams Anne’s name.

Aragon snaps her head up from where she’s sat, her hand in Parr’s as she tries to comfort the woman from whatever’s got a hold on her.

“I’ll find her,” Cleves says. “Stay with Parr.”

Cleves rushes over to find Anne’s crumpled form.

Howard looks back at Jane. “Fine! Yes, I accept, do it! Just  **_do it!”_ **

Aragon looks up from Anne to find the door slamming shut. She’s quick to rush to the door, but when she opens it, both Jane and Katherine are gone.

 


	6. Defy the Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final fight for Jane Seymour's soul starts now.

**** Aragon is praying.

There’s not much else she thinks she can do. She’s holding the hand of Parr - brilliant, strong, Catherine Parr, completely taken over by whatever’s possessed her. She’s seen her and Jane struggle - when she and Cleve were captured, she saw the pain and fear in the woman’s eyes. She saw them fighting.

Seeing the woman on the couch, she could tell that hasn’t changed.

There’s sweat beading on Parr’s brow and Aragon has a cloth to help wipe it away. 

“I’m so sorry,” Aragon mumbles to her; she’s been talking to Parr as this has happened, trying to help. She finds that the twitching becomes less violent that way. “I wish… I don’t know what to do.”

She’s broken from her thoughts when Cleves comes in, Boleyn in her arms. There’s a grave look on Cleves face and Aragon takes a moment to register what she assumes happened as Cleves gently places Boleyn on the opposite couch.

“Same condition, it seems,” Cleves says. 

“Where’s Jane and Kat?” Aragon asks, gently smoothing out Parr’s hair.

“Gone.” Aragon looks over, silently asking for clarification. “Kat told Jane to do something, Jane slammed the door shut - or, at least, something did? - and when I opened it back up not five seconds later, they weren’t there. They were just… gone.”

Aragon frowns, then looks back at the two other women.

“Well… we just… have to trust in Katherine to get Jane. Our job’s pretty clear now, right? We get Boleyn and Parr back.”

They’re not entirely sure how to get this done.

Having been stuck in the closet for the majority of the time, the two were the least in the know about what was happening. Still, from their short conversation from Boleyn and their… weird… conversation with Parr before she threatened them and stuffed them into the closet, they were able to piece a few things together.

Looking at how Boleyn was now starting to have the same symptoms as Parr, it was clear that they were under the same sort of influence or…  _ spell _ , whatever it was. It was also clear that they could be broken from it for a short amount of time.

“What do we do?” Aragon asks, a bit defeated in tone. 

“We just… talk to them, I guess,” Cleves replies. “Something can break them out of it, we’ve done it before for moments. Maybe we can help them latch onto it… or something.”

Boleyn lurches as she gasps in pain, though she’s still unconscious. Cleves settles in, sitting next to the couch and smoothing out the woman’s hair.

“Boleyn, it’s Anna,” Cleves starts. “I… I know whatever this is… it’s tough to break. Otherwise, you’d have done it by now. But Aragon and I are here. Parr’s hurt. Jane as well. And Katherine’s gone. I need you to wake up.”

Nothing, save for a twitch again. Cleves smooths out the woman’s hair.

Aragon’s head snaps in Cleves’ direction when she gasps, head suddenly lolling down and eyes closing. Aragon blinks.

“Cleves? Anna, you alright?”

She’s about to release Parr’s hand when she suddenly feels her consciousness leaving her, being sucked into… something.

She’s no longer in the flat. She’s alone, in darkness.

Aragon looks around and frowns; what was going on?

She turns to find a light and decides to follow it. When she does, she realizes she had been in a tunnel previously; she’s now in a hallway of a castle, it seems. It’s unfamiliar to her: dark and dreary and cold. It’s none she’s seen before.

The voice down the hallway, however, is very warm and familiar.

“They’ve forbidden my writings?”

Aragon is quick to move down the hallway and towards the room. When she peaks inside, she’d find Catherine Parr there. She’s not in modern clothing, instead in the clothing she’d have worn back then. Back at home.

“Yes, Lady Parr,” the soldier said. “And you’ve been hereby convicted of treason.”

Aragon raised an eyebrow at that. 

“What treason do they say I’ve committed?” Parr demands answers, standing up and moving towards the man.

“Your… sympathies, to the Protestant cause, my lady, is treasonous to the King.”

Parr blinks in surprise.

“There was a warrant, yes, but no trial? That’s insane-”

“There wasn’t a trial because none of this is real.” 

Parr turns around to find Aragon standing there. She looks a bit annoyed.

“Who are you?” Parr asks.

“Catherine. Of Aragon. Though I guess this isn’t some historically accurate flashback, now is it?” Aragon moves over to Parr.

“None of this is real. You’re in modern times now, Parr. This - all of this - it’s just a distant memory.” Aragon stops for a moment. “Or, well… or nightmare. That’s what this is.” She sighs. “You had a warrant, yeah, but you were never convicted of treason or anything. You and Henry made up. This entire thing… it’s on your fears.”

“I don’t understand,” Parr says, shaking her head and backing away from Aragon.

“You’re stuck here, living this sort of situation because whatever it is that’s keeping you here doesn’t want you to leave. You’re under a spell-”

“Witchcraft?” the soldier says. “This woman’s a witch, clearly. Don’t trust her, Lady Parr. She’ll be burned at the stake before the day’s done.”

Other guards have arrived. Aragon shakes her head.

“You tried to help Howard bring Jane back, remember? You were brought under a spell by Jane. Boleyn tried to help you, but she ended up entranced as well.” Aragon grabbed Parr’s hand. She doesn’t like to admit this, but…

“You’re our leader, Parr. We need you back. I think… I think Howard’s going to die.”

“Howard?” Parr asks, searching her memory for someone of that name. It’s in flashes - a young, teenaged girl, beheaded in front of a crowd; the same girl dressed in weird costume, singing; the same girl’s smile as she reads from Parr’s books. There’s so many memories, so many things that have suddenly been remembered.

And just like that, Parr has what she needs.

She looks back up at Aragon.

“They’re all in trouble,” Parr says. Aragon nods. “We… we have to get out of here.”

“I don’t think so,” the soldier replies. He snaps his fingers, and suddenly Parr is gone and the scene has changed. This time, there’s a child. Aragon notices her immediately.

“Mary…”

The child turns to face her mother. Suddenly, she smiles demonically. 

They’re both suddenly standing in a field. As far as the eyes can see, there are stakes burning.

Aragon’s eyes widen. This is her legacy, through her child.

The child reaches out her hand.

“You could save me, mother,” Mary says. “Just follow me.”

She’s tempted to go; she’s so tempted to go with her child. She’s stopped, though, by a hand on her shoulder.

It’s Parr.

“This isn’t real, we need to go,” Parr says. “Remember what we’re here for. We… we’ve got to go.”

“But my baby, Parr… she’s right here, I see her.” Aragon turns back. “I can save her.”

“No, you can’t,” Parr replies; she has to be blunt here. Time is running out. “You’re going to die if you follow her, then we can’t help the others. Remember? We’re six.”

It takes a moment, but the girls memories return to her. They each flash through Aragon’s mind and it’s enough to give her strength.

“I’m sorry,” Aragon says, before turning away from the burning and the child. Her and Parr rush off towards a warm, white light.

When they reach it, they both gasp awake.

Parr sits upright on the couch, shocked at first. Then, she tries to get out of her binds.

“Hang on,” Aragon says. “I’ve got you.”

Aragon removes the bindings. Parr is gasping for air.

“Are you okay?” Aragon asks quietly. Parr looks over at her before getting off the couch and hugging the other woman tightly. Aragon at first tenses, but then melts into the embrace. 

A moment later, Boleyn awakens, screaming while Cleves gasps into consciousness. Parr is very unsteady on her feet and stumbles over instead, going straight towards the girls.

“Hey, hey,” Parr says, gently grabbing Boleyn’s shoulders to get her attention. Boleyn’s eyes are wild and scared and angry, the complete opposite of Parr’s composed form.

“You’re okay. I know, I know what they did. I saw you in there,” Parr says quietly, calmly. She can’t risk scaring Boleyn into insanity. “I saw it, too. You’re back, you’re home. We’re right here with you.”

Aragon is at Cleves’ side immediately, gently rubbing the woman’s back as Anna catches her breath. “You alright?” Aragon asks.

Cleves nods. “That… was terrifying. But we have them back now, right? We must have done something right.” 

Boleyn has calmed down now, nodding at Parr. She’s quick to hug the woman as soon as she can. Parr stumbles a bit, but she keeps Boleyn close.

“We need to figure out where Jane and Katherine are,” Cleves says. “Do either of you know?”

“They’re not here?” Parr asks, looking very concerned. 

“Jane attacked Boleyn and then disappeared. Katherine told Jane to do it.” Cleves mentions, still holding onto Aragon. 

“They wanted someone. Someone who wasn’t us,” Parr says. “We were… we were just accessories, that’s what they said.”

“Who’s they?” Aragon asks.

Parr shakes her head. “No idea.”

The conversation is halted, however, by a loud, wind-gushing sound. It’s coming from Jane’s room. 

The four help each other up and unsteadily move to the room. They find the room itself completely disheveled - as if a strong wind passed through - but in the center is Katherine Howard with an unconscious Jane Seymour in her arms.

Parr is quick to move inside to look Jane over.

“She’ll be fine,” Katherine mumbles. “She just… needs a moment. She’d been taken since Friday, remember? That’s longer than any of us.”

“Where did you guys go?” Boleyn asks, sitting next to Katherine. 

“Not sure,” Katherine says. “It was dark. I barely got to Jane in time.” 

Cleves and Aragon watch as Jane suddenly awakens, softly gasping before a hand goes to her head.

“Oh, god…” Jane says, slowly sitting up. Katherine helps her. Jane looks around.

“What’s… what’s happened? Where are we, Kitty?”

“Mum?” Katherine asks, clearly emotional.

Jane looks up at the others, then seems to remember what happened. She sighs in relief. 

“Thank you, girls. For not giving up on me.”

Katherine bursts into tears then, relieved that her mother is back. She hugs Jane tightly, keeping her close. The entire room seems to lighten up a bit as each of the girls take a moment to breathe a sigh of relief.

“So… it’s gone?” Cleves asks. “Just like that?”

“Apparently,” Boleyn replies, sitting down next to Parr. “You definitely chased it away back in the living room. From me, at least. Not sure about this one,” she gently bumps Parr’s shoulder.

“I think it’s gone,” Parr confirms. “We went towards a light, Aragon and I. It was… beautiful. And cleansing. I don’t feel the fears and dread anymore.”

“I heard you guys, when it was happening,” Jane says, though she keeps Katherine close. “I heard all of you. I didn’t think… I really thought it’d kill me, all of us.” She shakes her head. “Whatever it was… it was incredibly powerful. And dangerous.”

“We should figure out if we can… I dunno, ban it? Dispel? Something.” Boleyn recommends, but Katherine Howard shakes her head.

“Later, we’ll do it later. We all need a moment to process this, right?” The girls nod in agreement. “Let’s just… reset. We have a show tomorrow, we can talk after that. Let’s just try to get as much rest as we can.. probably first by cleaning up this room, it looks like a hurricane came through.”

It’s a few hours later when the girls finally feel comfortable enough to go off on their own and get some rest. The only one who remains in Jane’s room with her is, of course, Katherine Howard, who’s not let Jane out of her sight since they returned.

Jane moves into bed and pats the side of it, Howard quickly filling the empty space. 

Jane sighs. 

“I missed you, Kitty,” Jane says quietly. “I heard you. I’m so… I’m so sorry I wasn’t strong enough.”

“You saved us all from being taken,” Katherine says, nuzzling up to the mother figure. “You held them off and did what you could. I don’t think I’d have that much strength.”

Jane chuckles. “You got me back, Kat, remember? You’re stronger than all of us.” Jane kisses the top of Katherine’s head. She hesitates a bit before she looks down at Katherine.

“I… don’t remember the darkness with you all that much. I remember being helpless as you said for the darkness to do something, but… after that, I just remember waking up in your arms with the girls.” She frowns. “What happened in there?”

“I took a trial, passed a test, got you back,” Katherine replies evenly. “It was a lot of fighting through things, facing fears. But I got you back.”

Jane watches Katherine for a moment before she nods; it’s as good enough of an explanation as any, and she’ll go more in detail as to what happened with Katherine later, when they’ve all had the chance to process the past few days.

“Good night, Katherine,” Jane mumbles, already ready to sleep. “I love you.”

“I love you too, mum,” Katherine replies, closing her eyes.

A few hours later, Jane is sleeping deeper than she has ever before. She doesn’t even react to Katherine slipping out of bed.

The girl goes to the bathroom to wash her face. She looks up at the mirror, keeping eye contact with herself for a moment.

“We have a deal, yes?” Katherine asks. 

A flash of darkness in her eyes is the only response.

_**To be continued in Out of the Dark: Katherine Howard.** _

 


End file.
